©iStockPhoto/SilviaJansen A piece in the New York Times today (part of the brilliant, groundbreaking Food Chain series that looks like it's being positioned for the Pulitzer Prize) explains in crystal-clear fashion how the high cost of fertilizer and its limited supply are contributing mightily to both the high cost of food in general and the devastating food shortages in many parts of the world. Because certain kinds of fertilizer containing nitrogen create dead zones where rivers meet the sea and kill marine life, environmentalists are demanding changes that will limit the use of chemical fertilizer. Recently a United Nations panel recommended that farmers use increased crop rotation with legumes because legumes are natural nitrogen carriers.... More

Southern Foodways appears on Fridays as part of our collaboration with the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization based in Oxford, Mississippi, that "documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South." Dig in! Georgia Organics is hosting its 11th annual conference, Quantum Leap: Taking Food & Farms Back...to the Future, February 28 to March 1 at the North West Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia. Listen and learn as we imagine a future where farm, family, and community values merge with sustainable innovation—where thriving family farms connect with consumers at school, at work, at play. At this conference, you’ll gather the knowledge, tools, and connections needed to take your food and farms into that future. Learn... More

Learn how to keep your pigs and sheep bruise-free with this instructional comic about how to best handle livestock. It may have been written in the 1940s-50s, but that doesn't mean the advice is outdated; you probably shouldn't drop lambs or or force them to jump from upper decks, lest you want to lose profit on bruised meat. Check out Comics With Problems for more examples of serious issues being illustrated in less than serious ways. [via bb]... More

Researchers at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have developed a robot farming "exoskeleton" suit designed to help aging farmers lift heavy objects and perform manual tasks more easily. The current cost for each suit is about 500,000-1,000,000 yen ($4,500-$9,000) but may drop to 200,000 yen ($1,800) when they aim to mass produce it in four years. [via Boing Boing]... More

If bacon is the gateway meat for vegetarians, then veal is certainly the same for omnivores. For despite its incredible taste and unique texture, it can't be denied that the most veal is raised in a way that is inhumane. However, the American veal industry has also made many positive strides in recent years, and these days it is even possible to find humanely raised veal that has had some access to pasture. More